Little details
by Saluzozette
Summary: "Gords?" Gordon looked up at his brother. "Could you tell me about mum? How was she?" "I don't now, Alan, I can't remember anything worthwile. I forgot what was important..." Warning : English is not my first langage.


**Hi guys ! I must warn you, I'm new to the fandom, and English is not my first langage. I hope you will enjoy that text nonetheless, it has been a pleasure to wrote it. I'm sorry if there is anything you don't understand because of Frenchism, or if I made any mistake (I surely have ^^)**

 **Enjoy !**

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"Hey, Gords?"

Lying on his bed, Gordon put his headphone and boondoggles down. He looked up at his brother who was standing at the door and smiled when he saw the look of embarrassment on his face. As a twelve-years old, Alan was able to worry himself to death over things that didn't really matter, like the flower pot he accidently pushed into the pool, or the B grade he got in arithmetic, believing that because of those little things, his family was going to be really mad at him. Gordon's job was to reassure him without saying it. Usually, it was a piece of cake.

"What is it, Al?" The fifteen years-old boy asked with a grin on his face. "Did you pee in your bed again?"

"Oh, give me a break, would you? It only happened once!"

"What happened once may happen twice, don't you agree? But ok, I get it you haven't peed. Then what?"

Looking angry, Alan shook his head.

"No. I don't even know why I came for you in the first place. You're only gonna make fun of me."

He turned away, but Gordon quickly jumped out of his bed and caught his arm. He smiled warmly, trying to pull his brother back with him.

"Come on Al, I was just kidding. Tell me, what's the matter?"

"You swear you're not gonna laugh?"

"I can't swear that, little brother, but I can promise that I'll try."

Alan seemed to seriously consider the fact and eventually sat on the bed, next to his sibling.

"So, tonight, I had a dream."

"Nightmare?" Gordon asked in sympathy, knowing that his younger brother was easily subject to bad dreams.

"No. It was about… It was about mum."

Gordon's smile disappeared in a second. This subject was far from his favorites and if he could, he would just have walked away. But his brother's expression got his attention. Alan wasn't looking at him but at his hands and seemed so young and lost that Gordon put his own wishes on the side. " _Brothers come first_ " was his anthem.

"Did she talk about me?" He tried to joke. "Did she eventually admit that I am the cutest one?"

The smile on Alan's face was fragile, but real.

"She said that you once were, but not anymore." He teased. "No, she was really nice to me, Gords. She said that she loved me and that she was proud of me."

Gordon felt relieved. His brother was only five when their mother died, trying to save him. They have both been covered by snow during the avalanche that cost Lucy's life, but she managed to keep Alan warm as long as possible and it was what kept him alive. Like their dad and older brothers, Gordon had feared that unconsciously Alan thought it was his fault. Obviously he didn't and it was a relief.

"But…"

Alan's face seemed smaller and younger than ever when he looked up at his brother.

"She was here." He said. "I could feel her hands on my shoulders and in my hair, I could hear her voice and hug her tight, but I couldn't see her face. I just couldn't look at her. I think it's because I don't remember her well enough."

Gordon felt his heart breaking. He didn't know what to say to his little brother. He was only eight when their mother passed away. He couldn't remember a lot either.

"We… We've got pictures." He managed to say. "You could…"

"I know her face." Alan interrupted. "I saw photos, I have one in my bedroom. But I don't know her. I don't remember who she was. Could you… Could you tell me?"

"Why don't you ask Scott or John?" Gordon grumbled sharply. "They sure have more memories than me."

"I don't because I already have." Alan answered. "They all said the same."

"Which is?"

"That she was beautiful, sensitive and funny. That she never yelled and that she loved us and dad more than anything in the world."

"It is true."

"I know! But it's not what I'm asking for."

"Then what do you want? I don't understand."

"I don't want to know _how_ she was. You guys already told me a thousand times. I want to know _who_ she was. And it looks like only you can answer that."

"Me?"

Gordon was speechless. How could he explain anything to his brother about their mother when he barely remembered a few things? No matter how hard he tried, clear memories refused to come to him. It was only some fix pictures, without flavor, smell or color. Insipid memories of little things. Nothing worthwhile.

"I can't tell you anything, Alan." He said on an angry tone. "I just remember details. Nothing important. I forgot what was important."

The redhead felt his brother's gaze on him as he turned away. He was feeling so bad! How could have he managed to forget about his mother? How had he dared?

Suddenly, he felt Alan's arms around his chest and realized he was crying. When did he start crying? His brother put his head on his shoulder when he wiped his eyes.

"I think that it's details which made someone who he or she is." The youngest whispered. "And it's details that I want to know about mum. The others remember to well, they forgot about details or they think it doesn't matter. If you just remember details, then you remember the most important part."

Gordon was now shaking. Why was Alan so mature? How could he say such strong and powerful things being only a twelve-years old boy? Was he, him, Gordon Tracy, fifteen, crying like Hell when his only little brother, three years younger, was trying to stop his tears from falling? The redhead faced his sibling again and put him into a hug. Alan returned the favor without hesitation.

"You little jackass." Gordon muttered with a trembling voice. "Look at what you did…"

"I made you cry like a baby?" Alan joked.

"Tell anyone and I'm gonna prank you until your last breath."

"I won't tell if you do tell me details about mum."

Gordon hugged his brother tighter. He remained silent for a while surely making Alan believed that he wasn't going to answer. Eventually he spoke.

"I remember that she was always awake when I woke up in the morning. No matter what time it was, even six am. Now that I think about it, maybe it was because of you. You were the baby at the time."

"And now I'm not." Alan said with a grin. "Cause you are."

"Shut up, you fool, you don't want to make me angry." Gordon joked, ruffling his brother's hair.

"Gords, stop!" Alan laughed. "Let me go!"

"Oh! I remember that mum was really ticklish! We used to have battles all together once in a while, from Scott to you. It was us against mum and dad and we always managed to win."

"Even me?"

"You were the best tickler I've ever seen except for me. Our plan was always the same. John would maintain mum while Virgil and Scott would maintain dad and you and I would tickle both of them. Mum was so weak against it that she once hit John in the chest with her elbow. We were all worried at first, but then he stated laughing. A second later, we all were."

Alan chuckled and lay back on the bed.

"Keep going, please." He asked.

"She was left-handed, like Scott and I, so the way she put mugs in the cupboard was always a matter of argument between her and dad. See? Seems like she could yell after all."

"And mugs in the cupboard is still a war zone between Scott and Virgil." Alan joked.

"True." Gordon laughed. "Otherwise, I remember the way she used to tell stories. She was really good at it. She just had to say "the story box is open" and we were all there to listen. If she was tired, she pretended that the box was empty."

Gordon took a break. Alan was staring at the ceiling with a little smile on his lips. The redhead had a hesitation. Was he going to tell his brother this particular memory? It wasn't personal, but it may be wasn't real so…

"I think…" He started, hesitantly. "I have a picture in mind… I don't even know if it's real or just a dream but… I believe that mum was smelling like a forest under the snow."

Suddenly, Alan straightened and looked at his brother with wild eyes.

"You know," Gordon continued, smiling. "Like the mountains she used to love so much. I always thought she smelt like that. But maybe it's a fake memory. Maybe…"

"No way," Alan interrupted. "I remember that."

The youngest was shaking, tears running on his cheeks, but he had a giant smile. The redhead put his arms around him.

"I remember that, Gords." Alan repeated. "I thought it was just a dream or an impression but… but…"

"She really smelt like that." Gordon said with that same big smile on his lips, happy to learn that it wasn't only a dream. "Mum smelt like mountains."

Alan wiped his face and smiled. He lay against his big brother for a while.

"So," Gordon asked with a grin, still holding his younger sibling. "Who's the baby now?"

"Shut up, you big… red… potato."

The teenager burst out laughter, quickly joined by his brother.

"What was that?" He asked, unable to stop laughing.

"A homemade insult."

"A really good one."

"I'm the best of my kind."

Gordon chuckled and put a quick kiss on his brother's hair. Alan gave him a false amazed look and asked with a grin:

"Did you just kiss me?"

"Not even in dreams, Sprout. Why? Did you think I loved you?"

"I'm relieved that you don't. I would have been force to love you otherwise."

"Ouch! Al, that's hurt!"

Alan laughed and escaped from his brother's grip. He jumped out of the bed and mysteriously teleported himself outside the bedroom.

"Come back here, you ungrateful child!" Gordon cried, rushing after him. "You owe me everything! I taught you everything I know, you _have_ to love me!"

Alan led to the living room and hid behind the couch. Few meters away, armed with a bucket and a broom, Scott was smiling at him, amused.

"You can run as fast as you want!" The redhead yelled from the kitchen. "I will find you wherever you'll go!"

"What did you do to him?" Scott asked his youngest sibling, laughing.

"Nothing, I swear!"

"Liar." Gordon accused with an evil smile when he joined his brothers. "He said that he doesn't love me!"

"Allie, listen to me." The twenty-two years old boy professed, deadly serious. "You must hide far and well. Go, little brother. Run for your life."

As Alan agreed and fled to the terrace, Gordon and Scott shared a grin.

"Thanks, big bro, that was really helpful to my hooligan's reputation."

"Anytime, Gordy." Scott said, returning to his fight against the dirt, looking like a mythological warrior.

"Please, don't call me that." The teenager moaned while he followed Alan's tracks, leaving his oldest brother to his duty and unstoppable sneer.

Outside, no one was in sight but Virgil who was lying on a deck chair next to the pool, snoring like the 'bird he was going to pilot soon, under his Philosophy textbook. As an eighteen-years old scientist/artist, Gordon's immediate older brother was not really into whatever was too metaphysical. Of course he could leave the real world for some very distant and very crazy countries when he wanted to, but Philosophy as a school topic was just able to changed him into a narcoleptic student. Right now, he was surely doing what he called a "revision session" for his final exam.

In any case, Virgil wasn't Gordon's target. Too bad because he was making a pretty appetizing prey. But the redhead had to focus on his first and most important goal: get revenge against his little brother.

So, where was this little brat? Gordon walked toward the pool, an evil smile on his face. Alan was nowhere to be seen. How could have he hid so fast? The teenager was seriously thinking about it when an enthusiastically yelling blond head as well as a ninety pounds body crashed into him by the side.

"Gordon!" Alan's voice shouted.

Next thing he knew, the redhead was underwater, smirking ironically. He should have seen this coming. Five hundred meters around the pool had never been a safe perimeter for any of them, particularly when Alan or himself were in the area. He should have known.

" _I did teach him everything I know._ " He thought, kind of proud of his younger sibling.

Even underwater, he could still hear Virgil's screams and he burst out laughter when he came back to the surface. Next to him, Alan was smiling like if he had just won an Award. Gordon smiled back.

"Hey guys," Politely asked Virgil before he exploded. "What the Hell!"

He was standing there, no more asleep, staring at his brothers with a deadly look. They both couldn't help but laugh.

"Oh, you think this is funny?" Virgil protested. "I'm entirely wet now! Can't a man take a nap without you two dummies immediately decided to put all the water out of this damn pool?"

At this point, Alan was almost drowning with laughter and Gordon had to fight hard to maintain both of their heads out.

"Weren't you supposed to work on your Philosophy exam instead of taking a nap?" The redhead asked ironically. "We've just saved you from dad's hysteric crisis. You should thank us."

"Screw you!" Virgil yelled as he walked towards the living room.

The two remaining boys took at least five minutes to calm down. When they eventually managed to look at each other without bursting into laughter again, Gordon asked:

"Seriously Al, what was that for?"

"Virgil and the pool were some collateral damages." Alan explained with an evil smile, which proved that it was a big lie. "I just remembered something else while I was running to escape you trying to kill me, and I had to tell you."

"Hey, don't complain, you still deserve it. And, by the way, don't even think you're gonna go away with it." Gordon teased. "But go ahead. What do you remember?"

"Mum had this weird golden necklace I used to play with whenever I saw it."

"Really? I do remember you were a little bit weird but…"

"Shut your big mouth!" Alan exclaimed with a laugh. "It isn't as weird as you and your odd addiction to boondoggles!"

"I haven't followed the all argument, but he gets a point here." John's voice suddenly interrupted, grinning. "Nothing is weirder than your boondoggles' obsession, Gords."

As a mature almost adult teenager, Gordon stuck his tongue out to his second oldest brother who was coming to them.

"Oh, look!" He exclaimed. "A new born twenty-nager!"

"Geez, my birthday was three weeks ago, Knucklehead." John moaned. "When are you gonna let it go?"

"Not until you turn twenty-one." The redhead retorted playfully. "Whereupon, you'll just be a twenty-nager. What could possibly be more boring?"

His older brother didn't answer and came closer. He kneeled in front of his siblings and smirked.

"You two do know that you're not supposed to be all dress up _into_ the water, right?"

"No kidding!" Alan exclaimed, looking all amazed. "I didn't know! Gords, how could you forget to tell me?"

"I'm so sorry Al. I thought it was better for you to remain innocent."

As his brothers both laughed, John shook his head in amusement. He was going to say something else when they suddenly heard a crashing sound into the kitchen and Virgil's angry yell.

"Damn it Scott! You and your fucking mug!"

Alan and Gordon's gazes immediately met and they couldn't help but exploded. While he was fighting to breath, the redhead saw John looking at them with a disbelieving light in his eyes.

"We're never gonna do anything worthwhile with you two." He complained.

"Talking of something worthwhile, do you really care about your pants?" Alan asked innocently.

The young man looked confused for a second before he quickly stood up and walked backward.

"Don't you even think about it." He warned his brothers who were smiling wild.

"Aw, you're not funny." Alan said when John left, still staring at them like if they could suddenly jump out of the pool to drag him in.

As he watched his older sibling walk away, a new picture popped into Gordon's mind. How strange was it? Before Alan asked him, he thought he couldn't remember anything, and now, new memories wouldn't stop to come to his mind.

"I remember she always used to put lipstick twice before going out." He told his little brother who was climbing out of the pool. "Once before she kissed each one of us, and once after."

"True?" Alan asked while getting undress. "What else?"

"Hey, I'm not a memories' factory!" Gordon complained.

He dragged himself out of the pool and sat beside his brother. From where they were, they could see the sea. Eventually, the oldest keep going.

"Scott tell me once that her sense of direction was as good as mine."

"Oh, god." Alan burst out of laughter.

"I do remember her getting lost a lot." Gordon admit, giggling.

Suddenly, Jeff's voice came from the kitchen.

"Boys! Dinner's ready!"

"Ah, come on, Al! I'm starving!" The redhead exclaimed, before looking at his brother and see the nice, happy, loving and gigantic smile he had on his face. The smile that was usually address to everybody but Gordon, who always got the mischievous, or joyful grin. Not that he complained, he loved that grin, but this smile… This smile was just for him, and it made his heart spill with love and gratitude. He didn't have to get a little brother, but he had. They didn't have to get along so well, but they did. And he didn't have to love him so much it almost hurt, but he did. And he would never be thankful enough for that.

"Thank Gords." Alan said when he stood up. "For sharing all of this with me."

"Don't sweat it." The older one answered, trying to hide the need he had to get this kid in his arms, right now. "Thanks for helping me remember."

"Al! Gords! What are you doing? We're waiting for you here!" John's voice interrupted. "We're hungry!"

"We're coming! There is no rush, is it?" Grodon retorted. "Jeez, Jonny sure is a lot bossier since he became a twenty-nager." He added with a grin. "What do you say we prank him, Al?"

"I say we have to do it as soon as possible." The youngest retort on the same tone. "But for now, I need to eat."

"You and me both bro. Let's go."

Gordon put an arm on his brother's shoulders and followed him towards the kitchen. Alan was right. It is the details that made people who they are. And it is detail that we must not forget. So, he would make sure his brother didn't forget their mother. That would never happen. Not as long as Gordon Tracy would be around.

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 **There we are. I hope you enjoyed it. Do not forget to review, and do not hesitate to signal me any mistakes, or anything you didn't understand. Thanks a lot for you reading ;)**

 **Saluz**


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